BASKETBALL '06: Women's Ivy League Round-Up

So much for getting better with age. The Ivy League will be fast and furious this year, and youth is leading the charge. Of the top four finishers last year—Dartmouth, Princeton, Brown, and Harvard—all lost key senior leaders and All-Ivy performers. Youth is widespread, with Cornell boasting two standout sophomores and the Crimson bringing back five second-year players with big-time potential. Young teams will make mistakes, and so will voters: it is impossible to predict a sure Ivy Champion. A veteran Dartmouth squad was a unanimous choice last year, and the Big Green delivered with an Ivy crown. No such luck this year. Harvard and Dartmouth have the pedigree, but even the best youngsters must grow into a name.



BROWN

The Bears finished third in the league with Player of the Year Sarah Hayes (15.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg) in the lineup. Now she’s gone, as is second-leading scorer Colleeen Kelly (13.0 ppg). Brown’s tenacious defense, which averaged 11.3 steals and forced 20 turnovers a game, must be retooled as well. Coach Jean Marie Burr is a proven winner, but 2006-2007 is not the year of the Bear.



Player to Watch: Catherine Schaper

The 6’3 Schaper helped fill out a thin front line last season, and she’ll see more time and be a mentor to a trio of freshman forwards.



COLUMBIA

The Lions roared little and lost often last year, recording just a pair of wins over Yale to finish seventh in the league at 2-12. The bright spot is senior guard Megan Griffith (15.2 ppg), second team All-Ivy in 2006. The downside? Everything else. Guard Michele Gage (11.4 ppg) is out all year with an injury, and Columbia was outrebounded by 12 boards a game last season.



Player to Watch: Brittney Carfora

Carfora dropped 16 on Harvard, going 4-for-6 from three. Her range will take pressure off of Griffith, who gets the best defender every night.



CORNELL

The league’s biggest surprise in 2006, Cornell finished fifth in the Ivies after a preseason poll picked the Big Red to place last. Thanks to standout freshman Jeomi Maduka—the league’s Rookie of the Year and team leader in points (14.8), rebounds, (7.8) and steals (1.7)— and guard Lindsay Krasna, Cornell was a threat last year and will be more dangerous in 2006-2007.



Player to Watch: Claire Perry

Krasna and Maduka will draw the most attention, but Perry’s deadly accuracy from beyond the arc will torch biased defenses.



DARTMOUTH

Center Elise Morrison, so dominant in Dartmouth’s title run two seasons ago, returns after a foot injury kept her out of all but three games last year. The Big Green lost the team’s glue in backcourt mates Angie Soriaga and Jeannie Cullen—both first team All-Ivy last year—but two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament has Dartmouth looking for a three-peat.



Player to Watch: Ashley Taylor

A feisty defender who was 10th in scoring last year, Taylor must carry a young backcourt if Dartmouth is to repeat again.



HARVARD

The most formidable low-post players in the league in Emma Moretzsohn, Liz Tindal, and Katie Rollins (10.8 ppg) give the Crimson a clear edge in an undersized Ivy League. Junior point guard Lindsay Hallion is poised for a breakout year on both ends of the court, while sharpshooters Niki Finelli and Jessica Knox will stretch defenses. Growing pains? So last year.



Player to Watch: Emma Moretzsohn

A 6’7 sophomore, Moretzsohn is all upside. She played young last season, but her footwork looks better and her height makes her unstoppable.



PENN:

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Penn won an Ivy title in 2004, but good times are gone in Philadephia. The Quakers won just three league games last year—a pair over lowly Columbia and one over a Yale team that struggled all year. Forward Monica Naltner (9.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) should give the Quakers some credibility in the lane, but Penn lacks crucial experience and depth.



Player to Watch: Joey Rhoads

Rhoads might be only 5’4, but Penn’s diminutive guard has a pure stroke and a knack for finding a hole on the perimeter.



PRINCETON

First team All-Ivy selection Meghan Cowher didn’t have quite the postseason her father, Steelers coach Bill Cowher, had last year. Bill won a Super Bowl, while Cowher’s Tigers fell to Dartmouth in the Ivy playoff. Cowher returns, as does Katy Digovich, who took last season off. The problem: the graduation of forward Becky Brown leaves Princeton very vulnerable in the post.



Player to Watch: Casey Lockwood

Lockwood was injured for much of her first two seasons, but was Princeton’s defensive stopper in 2006.



YALE

Yale returns its top five leading scorers from last year’s team, which finished 2-14 under first-year coach Chris Gobrecht. The Bulldogs should be better this year, but the squad must improve their defense. Yale’s opponents shot 43.2 percent from the field and scored 13 more points per game than the Bulldogs. An experienced frontcourt is a plus, but Yale is still a few years away.



Player to Watch: Jamie Van Horn

The trigger-happy Van Horne is one of the best outside shooters in the Ivies. Teams know about her, but she’s still dangerous.



PRESEASON PICKS:

Aidan Tait



EXPECTED FINISH

1. Dartmouth

2. Harvard

3. Princeton

4. Cornell

5. Brown

6. Yale

7. Penn

8. Columbia



PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Meagan Cowher, Princeton



ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Betsy Williams, Dartmouth



COACH OF THE YEAR

Kathy Delaney-Smith, Harvard



PRESEASON PICKS:

Vince Oletu



EXPECTED FINISH

1. Harvard

2. Dartmouth

3. Princeton

4. Cornell

5. Brown

6. Penn

7. Columbia

8. Yale



PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kayleen Fitzsimmons, Cornell



ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Michelle Meyer, Dartmouth



COACH OF THE YEAR

Dayna Smith, Cornell



PRESEASON PICKS:

Emily Cunningham



EXPECTED FINISH

1. Harvard

2. Princeton

3. Dartmouth

4. Cornell

5. Penn

6. Brown

7. Yale

8. Columbia



PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Meagan Cowher, Princeton



ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Courtney Lee, Brown



COACH OF THE YEAR

Dayna Smith, Cornell